Craftsmanship, art coming to the Tower

Published
12:00 am CST, Sunday, January 4, 2015

HARTFORD — The Lewis and Clark Confluence Tower provides residents with a view of the confluence of the Missouri and Mississippi River, but on Saturday Jan. 10 the tower will also provide residents with a unique view of craftsmanship, nature and art.

The Itchy Brothers Wood Carving will return to the Confluence Tower to sculpt another piece of art out of wood for the Village of Hartford. The Confluence Tower already contains two pieces of art carved by the Itchy Brothers inside of the building.

The brothers also sculpted another piece for the village which is located at the Hartford City Hall, according to Mary Ann Warmack, a site interpreter at the towers. Warmack is excited to have the brothers back at the tower.

According to Warmack, the brothers name is derived from sawdust that would go down their shirt during the carving process, causing them to itch. From there, the name Itchy Brothers was in full-swing.

Luke Harris and Donnie Johnson formerly of Laclede Steel make up the tandem that carves the sculptures. The event runs from 10 a.m. until 4 p.m. and Warmack says it usually takes the full amount of time for the group to carve their art.

The Itchy Brothers start with large chainsaws and work down to smaller crafting materials for precision in their work. After the wood is carved to perfection, the tandem stains and seals their work to preserve the piece of art.

Warmack is not sure where the piece of art crafted will end up when it is finished.

The Itchy Brothers kick off a series of events for the Confluence tower. On Jan. 24 from 12 p.m. until 2 pm. the “Chip off the Block Ice Carvers” will be at the tower carving one-of-a-kind ice sculptures. On Jan. 31 there will be a Native American Tribute to the Bald Eagle. The Treehouse Wildlife Center will be on hand on Feb. 7 to discuss other birds of prey. The tower will also host a life eagle display from the World Bird Sanctuary on Feb. 21.